Sole-gage for boots and shoes.



J.'J. HEYS.

SOLE GAGE FOR BOOTS AND SHOES.

APPLICATION men JULY 3. I915.

Lw fififia Patented June 12, 1917.

UNTTED STATES PATENT UFFIE JOHN J. HEYS, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SOLE-GAGE FOR BOOTS AND SHOES Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1917.

Application filed July 3, 1915. Serial No. 37,917.

To all 'lehom it may concern Be it known thatI, JonN J. Ilnrs, a citizen of the United States residing at 45 N: bant street, Lynn. in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sole-Gages for Boots and Shoes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear. and exact description of the inven-' tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to gages and more particularly to sole gages for boots and shoes.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes it is dillicult to determine the proper shape and contour of thesole which is best suited for each diiferent style of shoe and this is more particularly true where the ball. line is characterized by a sharp break separating the forepart of the solo from the shank. It is customary in manufacturing boots and shoes having this type of sole to mold the sole to the final desired shape prior to incorporating the sole in the boot or shoe and in order to perform thi molding opera tion satisfactorily it is essential that the shape of the mold shall be determined with precision for each different style of shoe bottom. According to existing methods of inanufactln-e these molds are shaped by a method of cut and try to approximately the desired form. and in consequence, no two soles can be exactly duplicated with different sets of molds and the molded outsole can only approximate the desired shape.

The object of the present invention is to provide a solegage which enables the operator to determine the character of sole which is theoretically best for any desired style of shoe bottom and to obtain all measurements necessary for the formation of a mold for imparting the proper shape to the sole.

Vith this object in view a feature ofthe invention consists in the provision of a sole gage conforming substantially to the contour of that portion of a lasted shoe bottom adjacent to the ball line and having a series of lines extending from the center transversely across the gage to opposite edges of the gage and arranged to permit any two lines extending to opposite edges of the gage to be combined and indicate the appropriate ball line for any shape of shoe bottom. Still fur ther features of the invention consist in certain novel features of construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed the advantages of which will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a plan view of one form of sole gage.

In connection with the shaping of outsoles in which the ball line is characterized by a sharp break it is essential that the break in the sole denoting the ball line shall be located accurately with respcctto he length of the sole and that the direction of curvature of this line shall be so proportioned with respect to the width and shape of the sole that the opposite ends of the line terminate properly with relation to the outside and inside edges of the sole. The present type of sole gage has two distinct and important advantages in connection with the manufacture of boots and shoes. First, itenables the manufacturer to determine with precision and certainty the exact shape of the sole which is best suited to any mrticular style and size of shoe, and furthermore. the gage enables any desired shape of moldedsole to be duplicated exactly by furnishing the proper measurements from which the molds may be made. According to the present invention it has been found desirable to have a number of gages each corresponding substantially within predetermined limits to a given range of sizes of the same style of sole. Each separate gage. as illustrated in the drawing-is provided with a series of lines extending from the center transversely to opposite edges of the gage and arranged to indicate to the operator the desired ball line for any shape of shoe bottom. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the gage is provided with a center line extending lengthwise of the gage and a transverse base line intersecting the center line at a point approximating the center of the ball line of the shoe. The gage is preferably formed of transparent material, as celluloid. and in order to determine the desired shape of the outsole the gage is'laid directly upon the bottom of the lasted shoe with the center line of the gage extending centrally of the shoe bottom, and the base line of the gage positioned approximatelyat the junction of the forepart and shank of the lasted shoe. When the gage is positioned upon the shoe bottom in this manner the operator is enabled to determine the proper lines which,

combined, will give the appropriate ball line curve which is best suited for any particular lasted shoe. In the gage shown in the illustrated embodiment of the invention the center line is indicated at 3 and the base line is indicated at 4 and intersects the center line at a point which corresponds with the central portion of the ball line of the lasted shoe. That portion of the gage indicated at 5 in the drawing is positioned upon the shank and. heel of the shoe and corresponds approximately in shape and size to the insole of the lasted shoe or to the contour of the lasted shoe bottom, and the portion of the gage indicated at 6 is positioned over the forepart of the lasted shoe and is extended in width to correspond in shape and size to the outsole of the shoe. verse lines 7 diverge from the base line to the opposite edges of the gage to indicate the proper ball line. In the illustrated embodiment of the gage the lines 7 are formed by diverging lines drawn tangent toa circle of convenient radius which is tangent to the ba-e line at its intersection with the center uni. It should be understood, however,

that the shape and direction of curvature of the individual lines may'vary with the style of shoe and various arrangements of lines may be employed extending from the base line to opposite edges of the gage. In using any particular form of gage it is laid upon either a lasted shoe or an outsole which is to be duplicated with the center line and base line of the gage located properly with relation to the outsole orlasted shoe and the proper ball line formed by the combination of two transverse lines noted by the operator. In connection withcacli'of the gages there is a diagram corresponding exactly with the gage and having the termination. of the lines with. respect to the base line 4: accurately measured. In using the gage the transverse lines which form the appropriate ball line are noted by the operator when the gage is laid upon the shoe bottom and by referring to the accompanying diagram in which the A series of trans- \termination of the lines is measured accurately with respect to the base linethe necessary measurements for constructing a mold may be obtained. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that in addition to the measurements of the transverse lines with relation to the base line, certain other essential measurements are given upon the diagram to enable the accurate formation of the molds:

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown and described, it will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential except so far as specified in the claims, and may be changed or modified without departing from the broader features of the invention.

The invention having been described, what s claimed is;

1. A sole gage conforming approximately to the-contour of that portion of a lasted shoe bottom adjacent to the ball line and having a series of lines diverging from the center-to opposite edges of the gage and arranged to permit any two lines extending to opposite edges of the gage to be combined to indicate an appropriate ball line for a shoe bottom.

2. A transparent sole gage shaped to conform approximately to the contour of a lasted shoe bottom and having a base line adapted to be positioned at approximately the junction of the shank and forepart of the shoe and a series of lines diverging from a median point in the base line to opposite edges of the gage to indicate the appropriate ball line for any style of shoe bottom.

3. A transparent sole gage conforming approximately to the contour of a'lasted shoe bottom and having a center line extending lengthwise of the-gage, a base line inter.- secting the center line and extending across the gage and adapted to be positioned at approximately the junction of the shank and forepart of the shoe, and a series of lines radiating from the intersection of the center line and base line to the opposite edges of the'gage.

4. A sole gage having a portion at one end corresponding in shape and size to the insole of a lasted shoe and a portion at the opposite end extended in width and corresponding to the'ball portion of the outsole, and a series of lines extending from the center transversel of the a e to o i'iosite ed 'cs' b h l" 

